The Dragon's Kiss

Kel locked herself inside her room for the next several days, refusing to see anyone. Everyone in the palace assumed the spoiled princess of Mevani was grieving the loss of her countryman, but the truth was a bit different.

Day and night, Kel worked tirelessly, letting her unquenchable desire for vengeance manifest itself as the perfect revenge plot. The plan had initially started as Kel crafting ways to make contact with Dash, but somewhere along the lines it had turned into a perfectly villainous concoction of pain and suffering.

She would escape.

From the clutches of the despicable Dragon Emperor as well as the leash of the capricious king in Mevani.

She would free herself from all of it.

But not before she paid back the suffering they'd so graciously bestowed upon her.

Only when it was finished did she allow herself a few hours of rest, carefully hiding the evidence of her planning inside the outer covering of the pillow she laid her head on. For the first time since arriving in Serin, she slept deeply. It was a peaceful sleep, undisturbed by dreams.

Some indeterminable amount of time later, she awoke feeling refreshed and ready to put her plan into action.Â

But first, she needed to find Dash.

There was a chance he would be against the plan because of the repercussions against Mevani. He was, after all, still bound by chains of loyalty to his home country.

Kel went back and forth several times on whether she should tell Dash the whole plan or deceive him into thinking there would be no effect on Mevani. In the end, she decided she would just tell him everything up front. If he was going to help her, she wanted him to be fully committed.Â

For now, all she had to focus on was convincing Lucy to take her to the city again. Once they arrived, it would be easy enough to slip away for a while.

Knock! Knock!

"Princess, it's me!" a voice desperately trying to mask its concern called for her.

Perfect timing.

"Come in!" Kel answered, stretching her arms over her head.

"I can come in!?"Â

A thud sounded outside, and the door flew open.

"Princess!" Lucy wailed, running to her side.Â

"Hello, Lucy," Kel greeted the maid, forcing a friendly smile.

"I was so worried for you-"

GROOOOWL

"Ah," Kel patted her stomach awkwardly as she eyed the tray of food Lucy had deposited in the hallway next to the doorway.

"How silly of me!" The maid jumped up and ran to grab the tray. "Of course you'd be hungry!"

As Kel scarfed down the warm bread and sweet fruits, Lucy asked her nearly one hundred times if she was really alright.

"Lucy, I did have a favor I wanted to ask," Kel brought up as she used a napkin to dab at the strawberry juice dripping down her chin.

Lucy clasped her hands together and smiled brightly. "I will do anything you want, Princess!"

Kel smiled. Thanks to her reputation as a sad, broken princess, carrying out her revenge would go much more easily than she'd thought.

"Can I get some new dresses?" Kel asked innocently, tilting her head.Â

"New dresses?" Lucy questioned. "Of course. I'll talk to the head maid and we can call a seamstress to the palac-"

"No!" Kel interrupted. She cleared her throat before continuing, "The dresses were just an excuse. I'd really like to get out and breathe some fresh air."

Lucy gazed at her with sympathy-filled eyes. Kel could already guess what she was going to say.

"Why don't we go for a walk, Princess?" the maid predictably suggested. "The weather is quite nice, and the air is perfectly fresh!"

"The last time I went for a walk at the palace," Kel's voice hardened as she spoke, "My comrade was killed in front of my eyes."

Lucy flinched under Kel's sudden steely gaze.Â

"I-I understand," she stammered. "I shall go request permission to travel outside the palace immediately."

With the most polite bow Kel had witnessed from the woman since she first arrived, Lucy quickly excused herself, taking the empty tray with her.

Within the hour, Kel was being groomed by three annoyingly sympathetic maids while Lucy stood silently in the corner, observing their work.

"Look how skinny our poor princess has gotten!" the oldest of the three wailed as she gently tugged a comb through Kel's tangled mane.

"It's true!" another agreed, pulling a pair of delicate lace stockings onto Kel's freshly washed feet. "I can practically fit my hand around her entire ankle!"

"We thought for sure you'd starve!" the third girl sniffled, holding up various colored hair accessories.

"I was about to ask Sir Roland to break the door down," the sock-pulling maid sighed, placing a hand under her chin.

"You just wanted an excuse to talk to him!" the hair-coming maid shot back, sticking her tongue out.

What a headache, Kel thought.

Normally, she didn't mind the maid's silly banter. She'd even smiled and joked along with them in the past. But this time, she could only see them as ridiculous chattering birds.

Her disdain must have been evident on her face, because all three girls fell silent after a warning cough from Lucy.

She catches on quickly, Kel noted. Perhaps, too quickly.

She'd had this thought before, but Lucy was no ordinary maid. She would have to be extra cautious when sneaking away from the sharp woman, or else her plan would be foiled before it even began.

In spite of Lucy's looming presence, the maids were unable to contain their disappointment when Kel picked out a dark-colored long sleeve dress to wear.

"The princess will look like every other ordinary woman on the street!" the two younger girls complained.

"Hush!" The oldest scolded. "She's still mourning the loss of a loved one. How could you be so insensitive!"

Lucy gave another subtle warning, after which, the maids offered whispered apologies and hurriedly finished their work.

When Kel and Lucy were left alone in the room, awaiting the arrival of their carriage, Lucy cautiously approached Kel again.

"Are you sure you're alright, Your Highness," she said softly.

"How many times must I answer that question for you to believe me," Kel replied, forcing her lips into a light-hearted smile.

"You seem.. different," Lucy continued hesitantly.

"Is that so?" Kel chirped.

"It must be because I only just woke up."